In my Dec. 14 commentary, I asked: What if schools were based on “the search of the individual” and not the needs prescribed by school boards, principals, teachers, parents, textbook printers and governments?

I also said I would share a way to “game the system,” to push learning activity back into the search of students where it originates.

My goal for schools is to have students be able to discuss what’s important to them — regularly.

The model I use is a writing workshop I conduct for a group of senior citizens.

I borrowed the model from Lawrence Spann, an instructor in the Santa Barbara City College School of Extended Learning program. I have attended his workshop several times, and I basically follow his outline.

It’s interesting to note that when I first met him about 15 years ago, I found out that he was actually a student in my high school English class a half-century ago!

Here is the model I suggest:

• Students are given a prompt, maybe a short paragraph, or simply a phrase, and then are asked to write whatever comes to their mind from the prompt, anything that comes to their minds without any restrictions or limitations. They are to keep writing for 10-15 minutes.
• After 15 minutes, some who would like to can share what they wrote with the rest of the group. Everyone agrees to keep what they hear confidential and not to share it with anyone outside the group. Initially, some are reluctant to share, but most gradually get over it.
• Participants can respond to what was read with positive comments only: what they liked, what was strong in their writing, something that spoke to them or for them. No negative comments are allowed, and no advice is to be given unless asked for.

It takes a while for some people to be willing to share themselves on paper (or tablet or phone), and then share their writing with others. It occurred to me that this process would be an excellent one for any student from the fourth grade up.

What is powerful in the process is that it frees people to not be limited by what their writing “should be,” and it frees the mind to go wherever it wants to.

It also gives other participants the opportunity to see how each other’s minds work, what’s on their mind, how their thinking operates.

Simply hearing this is valuable.

For topics to discuss, teachers can have students submit questions they would like to discuss with the question: “What do you want to know, to better understand, to search, to research, to learn more about yourself, about society, our world?”

Surely, English teachers can “get away with” doing this regularly, and perhaps history or civics teachers also.

Science teachers might also, if they are looking at the broad questions of how the world and universe operate. Certainly psychology and human behavior teachers would be right at home!

The initial question a teacher might put to students and collect their responses is: What question is on your mind about life right now? What are you curious about? What are you worried about? What’s bugging you?”

Or simply, “What do you wish we could talk about openly in class?”

My experience is that the more I write, the deeper my thoughts go. Often, I end up going down very fruitful paths I didn’t plan on.

A teacher doesn’t have time for every student to speak their thoughts on a given topic in a given class. But they can give everyone the opportunity to write out their thoughts on a given topic!

It triggers the process of “free association” in their mind. I suggest this process once a week.

English teachers, at least, can game the system, since “writing” is part of the “English curriculum!” So, if students are writing and discussing, they are “learning” English.

Unfortunately, many of the most important things kids want to talk about are “forbidden” topics: sex, relationships, being bullied, shaming, incompetent parents, politics, religion, money, where’s my life going, etc.

Teachers, think twice about doing this! Don’t get thrown out of school for trying to open up what’s important in real life!

Students, if you like this idea, pass this essay on to your favorite teacher. If you are a teacher, use this for the first prompt!

Happy New Year, and good luck!